Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 | View in browser
4th Ward Meeting & News
Hello friends,
There’s a lot going on in the 4th Ward this month—the city manager search is underway, it’s budget season, changes are afoot at Albany Care, and more. See below for details, and as usual, you’re invited to the regular ward meeting and to stop by during office hours. Hope to see you soon!
Ward Meeting: Tuesday, November 2, 7 p.m., Robert Crown Community Center, Room D
Office Hours: Saturday, November 13, 10 a.m. to noon, Reprise Roasters, 710 Main Street
-Jonathan
jnieuwsma@cityofevanston.org
 City Manager Search
We need your input! The City Council has begun the process of recruiting a new city manager, and before starting the recruiting process we need input from Evanston residents. What should we be looking for in our next city manager? What attributes and experience are necessary for success in Evanston? What questions should we be asking of candidates? Please let us know what you think:
A community survey is now available online in English and Spanish through Friday, November 12.
There’s also a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, October 30, from 10:30 a.m. to noon through Zoom (virtual meeting link).
 2022 Proposed City Budget
Bottom line on top: the initial proposed budget for 2022 is $355,728,116, up substantially from 2021’s pandemic constricted budget and higher in fact than pre-COVID years as we anticipate using federal funding to make up for COVID related losses this year and last. Hopefully no property tax increase!
With 3,000 plus line items in the budget, it’s no easy feat to balance the needs of our community with available sources of funding, and as has been the practice in past years, the process formally began when the interim City Manager released the proposed budget on October 11. The proposed budget will be refined over the next month with a series of City Council meetings, community meetings and other discussions. If all goes well, the goal is for the City Council to approve the budget on November 22.
Evanston’s Chief Financial Officer, Hitesh Desai, will be joining us at the ward meeting on November 2 to present an overview of the process and answer any questions you might have. And as always, please feel free to reach out to me directly (email is best) with your thoughts and opinions.
 Albany Care Update
For those not familiar with this issue, Albany Care, a specialized mental health rehabilitation facility on Maple Avenue just north of Main Street, has long been a graciously accepted part of the fabric of our community, operating quietly and without incident. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been struck by how warm and accepting our neighborhood has been, understanding that our family members, friends, and others in the community who suffer from mental illness deserve to receive the help they need.
Unfortunately, over the last several years there has been a marked change in the number of incidents involving residents of Albany Care, and as councilmember I’m concerned not only about the quality of life of Albany Care neighbors but also the residents of Albany Care itself.
After a series of meeting with officials from Albany Care and their parent company, I believe the message has gotten through that they need to increase the level of care they provide to their patients so that problems don’t spill over into the community. Albany Care released an action plan early last week which was described in this article in the Evanston Roundtable.
More recently, Mayor Biss, Interim City Manager Gandurski, Interim Police Chief Barnes, staff from the City’s Health & Human Services department and State Rep. Robyn Gabel’s chief of staff joined me in a meeting with Albany Care’s ownership at which our expectations for improvement were made clear. We received assurances from Albany Care’s parent company that the necessary resources would be made available to address their internal issues, and they further agreed to at least temporarily tighten up their admission requirements so that they admit only those patients whom they can effectively treat.
Once they have their operation back in shape, I look forward to the possibility of some community-building events several 4th Ward residents have offered to help plan.
Also, at the request of several residents, we’re going to put a Porta Potty in Grey Park, on a trial basis.
 Save the Trees!
Remember when Mr. T chopped down all the trees on his property in Lake Forest? (Maybe not, it was 1987). That would have been harder for him to do if Lake Forest had a tree preservation ordinance, which they have now, as do a number of other communities in the region and around the country. Not Evanston, though. Not yet, anyway. We’re thinking about it, and a proposed ordinance was introduced earlier this year.
Evanston Public Services Coordinator and certified arborist Emily Okallau will bring us up to speed at next week’s ward meeting and will be available to answer any questions. I know I have some.
 What do you want, a cookie?
Well, yes. Why not? All you have to do is drop off your compost at Robert Crown Community Center. Here are the details, as sent to me by ETHS student Maia Roothann:
"Hello!
My name is Maia Roothaan. I am a senior at ETHS. I was recently awarded the U.S. Department of State's Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund grant to create Cookies for Compost, a free composting program at Robert Crown.
The program is launching on November 6 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Robert Crown. We’ll be giving out compost buckets, Insomnia Cookies, and information about how to compost.
Each week following our launch, participants will bring their compost buckets to Robert Crown between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each Saturday to drop off their compost in the compost totes. In exchange, participants get cookies from Insomnia Cookies!
Fill out the survey to sign up and stop by!
Thanks for your help!
Maia Roothaan"
Jonathan Nieuwsma
Councilmember, 4th Ward
jnieuwsma@cityofevanston.org
www.cityofevanston.org
|
